PITTSBURGH, March 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers (USW) released the following statement today from USW International President Leo W. Gerard on the career of West Virginia's senior Senator and former Governor, Jay Rockefeller, who will retire when his term expires next year. The USW will honor Sen. Rockefeller with a lifetime achievement award at a ceremony today in Weirton, W.Va.

"It's hard to imagine a public servant more committed to the well-being of American workers and to the creation and preservation of good, family supporting manufacturing jobs than our friend, Sen. Jay Rockefeller.

"Sen. Rockefeller has been there for us since his first day in public office. When the steel industry was facing devastation from unfair trade, when steelworkers and their communities were struggling with the threat of job losses, Sen. Rockefeller always stood with us.

"As he prepares to leave public service and hand over the chair of the Senate Steel Caucus to another champion of working people, we are privileged to stand with him.

"We were proud in 2003 to present Sen. Rockefeller with the USW's first-ever Paul Wellstone Award, in memory of another great friend of labor. Sen. Rockefeller is leaving us with a legacy of distinguished service and bold leadership, and he will be sorely missed.

"U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who will be taking over Senator Rockefeller's post as chair of the Steel Caucus, has big shoes to fill in that role. But we know that he, just like Sen. Rockefeller, has a proven track record of standing up for good jobs and American manufacturing, and we look forward to a long and productive relationship with him and with the entire Senate Steel Caucus."

The USW is the largest industrial union in North America, representing workers in a range of industries including metals, mining, rubber, paper and forestry, oil refining, health care, security, hotels, and municipal governments and agencies.